雜譬喻經 1.80

1.80

有二種賊，一者手力賊。二者方便賊。手力賊手自鑿壁，或作師子頭或作蓮花形，入舍取物不盡持去要少多留，欲令主人得生活也，欲使人稱此是好賊。還自變服與諸人俱至失物家看，時彼眾人見賊鑿壁處，皆言此是巧賊。時有一方便賊微梵志服，亦在其中便作是言：「此非巧賊，用力多而得物少，云何為巧？要不用力而得物多爾乃為巧。」時手力賊密著心中，待眾人去隨而問之：「云何為方便賊？」答言：「汝欲知者但隨我行，一月餘日當使汝見。」於是方便賊便方便微梵志服，造一大富長者家，告長者言：「我須少物，能與我者不亦佳乎？」時長者謂索一衣直，便即答言：「當相給與。」未得之間續後重往言：「君前許我者意定可得不？」長者答言：「當令必得。」如是至三已，便作文書詣官言之言：「某甲長者負我十萬兩金不欲還我。」賊便取長者怨家以為時人，時官錄其時人并長者身，問時人言：「實爾不？」時人答言：「實爾也。」官遂令長者輸金與此梵志，方便賊不用手力而大得物，隨喜亦爾也。

There are two kinds of thieves: the first is the thief of physical strength, and the second is the thief of skillful means. The thief of physical strength breaches walls with his own hands, carving the shape of a lion's head or a lotus flower. Entering the house to take goods, he does not carry everything away, but makes sure to leave a little behind, wishing to let the master make a living and wanting people to praise him, saying, 'This is a good thief.' Changing his clothes, he returns and goes with all the people to the victim's house to look. When the crowd sees where the thief breached the wall, they all say, 'This is a clever thief.' At that time, there was a thief of skillful means in the disguise of a mendicant who was also among them. He then said: 'This is not a clever thief. He exerts much strength and obtains few goods; how can he be called clever? Only if one exerts no strength and obtains many goods can one be called clever.' The thief of physical strength kept this secretly in mind. Waiting until the crowd dispersed, he followed him and asked: 'What is a thief of skillful means?' He answered: 'If you wish to know, just follow me; in a month or so, I will let you see.' Thereupon the thief of skillful means used a trick, disguising himself as a mendicant, and went to the house of a very wealthy śreṣṭhin. He said to the śreṣṭhin: 'I need a small thing; would it not be fine if you could give it to me?' At that time, the śreṣṭhin thought he was asking for the cost of a robe and immediately answered: 'I shall give it to you.' Before obtaining it, he went again afterwards and said: 'What you promised me before, is it certain that I can get it?' The śreṣṭhin answered: 'I will surely let you get it.' After doing this three times, he prepared a document and went to the officials, lodging a complaint: 'Such-and-such a śreṣṭhin owes me one hundred thousand ounces of gold and does not wish to repay me.' The thief then took an enemy of the śreṣṭhin to serve as a witness. The officials then summoned the witness together with the śreṣṭhin, and asked the witness: 'Is it truly so?' The witness answered: 'It is truly so.' The officials then ordered the śreṣṭhin to pay the gold to this mendicant. The thief of skillful means did not use physical strength and obtained great goods. Rejoicing in others' merits (anumodanā) is also like this.